Peridot's Bathroom Time
by KarmicRetribution
Summary: Peridot is now officially one of the 'Crystal Clods', but is she truly accepted? Does she feel like one of the Crystal Gems? When Peridot gets upset, she goes back to the place where she felt the safest. The bathroom.
1. Chapter 1

Steven stares in concentration at the chessboard. Every so often, it looks like the pieces on the board moved when he isn't looking, though Steven is pretty sure he had been staring at the board the whole time. Time is also moving a little funny, in that he no longer knew if just a second had passed since his turn came, or ten minutes. Growing frustrated, Steven finally makes his move.

"My Cookie Cat Rookie defeats your Pink Lion Pawn, meaning it's out for the count," Steven says with satisfaction, deepening his voice for the last bit, like an emcee. He is certain that he is going to win now and take the ice-cream cone.

His opponent simply moves his Lion Licker next to Steven's Shield Piece, overtaking his Cookie Cat Rookie, and says "Citchen Calamity."

Staring in disbelief at the board, Steven reluctantly handed his opponent the ice-cream cone, which is promptly put on their head.

"Dogcopter, how do you always win?"

Dogcoptor simply stares at Steven for a moment, (or a minute. Or an hour, time is being weird again), and says, in Garnet's voice, "Steven, it's time to wake up now."

Steven lifts his head and regards the red gem with groggy eyes. She gives him a gentle smile, "Good morning Cutie Pie." He smiles sleepily and says, with a hint of a yawn in his voice, "Good morning Garnet."

With a smile still on her lips, she turns and goes down into the main house/kitchen area, leaving him to get ready in his loft. From the kitchen area he can smell the conflicting aromas of scrambled eggs and motor oil. Sighing with the satisfaction of a good night's sleep, he listens to the sounds of an average Crystal Gems' morning (when the gems don't have missions early in the morning or something very magically important to do), which includes the sounds of Pearl and Amethyst arguing over the nutritional value of adding motor oil to scrambled eggs, or something similar on other mornings, with a single word from Garnet stopping their argument (in the favor of no motor oil on scrambled eggs, at least for Steven), before gathering up his getting-ready-for-the-morning items and heading off to the bathroom.

Entering the bathroom he finds Peridot huddled in the bathtub, tinkering with her foot. Once given access to 'archaic earth tools', as she calls them, to help with the cluster-finder-drill, she went 'nuts', as Amethyst likes to call it. She simply can't be parted with the tools, despite her constant complaining about how inferior they were. She fixed the microwave and television that she had broken in an earlier attempt to get parts, though with her tools she usually did as much harm as good.

She kept insisting on making 'upgrades' to the household when visiting from the barn, despite Pearl's constant attempts to stop her. Peridot turned the coach into a hover couch that floated around, but which often broke down onto the person unfortunate enough to be underneath it at the time. She added lasers to the door to increase 'their abysmal lack of defenses', though Onion still broke in through the screen window on occasion to get to their Chaaps!, much to her annoyance. And she changed the oven into a thermonuclear reaction chamber that Steven hadn't been allowed near because it emitted radiation, though Amethyst had liked how it cooked things faster, and had cooked a shoe, a pillow, a balloon, and a turkey in it, just for fun. Fortunately Garnet and Pearl had managed to convince her to return the upgraded household items to their original states, much to Steven's relief and Amethyst's mild petulance at her fun being cut short.

The gems had all learned to just avoid her and try to keep her away from anything else she might 'upgrade'. Due to pleading from Steven, so far she hadn't done anything to the bathroom where she voluntarily confined herself to… yet. He shudders at any 'upgrades' Peridot would make to the toilet if she was able.

Snapped out of his musings by a thud and a yelp from Peridot, Steven looks up to see that she had fallen into the bath tub and tangled with the shower curtains… again. Rushing forward, he tries to grasp Peridot's hand to pull her out, but her flailing arms make that all but impossible.

"Peridot, you need to calm down or else I can't pull you out. Stop flailing!"

Calming down enough for him to grab her, Steven helps Peridot out of the tub. And onto the tiled floor.

"What happened Peridot?"

Looking up, Steven saw that Garnet had entered the bathroom without him and, apparently, Peridot from noticing. Peridot glares at the ground, refusing to make eye contact with the de facto leader of the Crystal Gems out of embarrassment and because of her wounded dignity. Peridot nods towards the base of the toilet, to where her robot foot had skidded when she had fallen into the tub.

Garnet nods her head in understanding. Picking up the foot, she hands it back to Peridot, and then heads back into the main kitchen area. Finishing up in his daily bathroom duties as Peridot sulks in the corner over her foot, turning away when needed, Steven leaves Peridot alone. Despite all that Peridot has shared with the Crystal Gems, Steven understood that sometimes Peridot still needed to be left alone.

 **Author:** **Hello everybody, this is my first story published anywhere, and it was originally created for myself only. I have decided to submit this and see how it does. It is supposed to take place after the Cluster has been contained, and Peridot is officially living at the Barn. I started it after the show Steven Universe first introduced us to the Cluster, but decided to update it to more recently in the show timeline. Please leave comments on what you think and thank you for your time!**


	2. Breakfast Travesty

Breakfast is served in a timely fashion, almost as soon as Steven's stomach starts to growl. Instead of motor oil, Steven douses his scrambled eggs in a healthy dose of maple syrup. Amethyst herself smothers her eggs in motor oil, and syrup, all the while saying that Steven was missing out. Steven decides he will just stick with what he knows he can eat.

After that one incident involving killer waffles, the Gems try to eat breakfast more with Steven, so they are all present around the counter in the kitchen. Of course, Steven and the Gems were no longer comfortable making extravagant breakfasts anymore, at least involving waffles. A waffle every so often was ok. As soon as the eggs are deemed sufficiently covered, Amethyst starts eating, acting as if this is her first, and will be her last, meal. Pearl, as per usual, is cleaning up the dishes, checking on Steven every minute or so by glancing over her shoulder. Although Steven can tell that Pearl is disgusted by the almost lewd way Amethyst is shoveling food into her mouth, her displeasure is subtle enough that Amethyst doesn't notice. Garnet is holding a cup of coffee in both hands, but Steven is pretty sure that she has yet to take a sip from it. Despite the fact that it has been a while since she got the cup, the liquid contained in it still gives off steam.

Greg occasionally comes over as well, but today he is busy with the car wash. On the days he comes over he brings donuts so the Gems don't have to make breakfast. And despite how well they can protect and take care of danger, sometimes making food for Steven turns out a little… well, lets just say that there is a fire extinguisher conveniently located under the sink now.

Focusing on eating his eggs, he almost doesn't notice how intensely Garnet is looking at the bathroom door. Sometime before the Drill was finished, Steven noticed that Peridot and Garnet were on much better terms than before. He doesn't know how it happened, but he is glad it did. Peridot can use some friends and though he tries, he was relieved when she and Amethyst started getting along and then even more so when she warmed up to Garnet as well, considering her previous experiences with the fusion. Even Pearl likes Peridot a bit now. Anyway, since then, and especially with what happened with the Cluster and the other Rubies, Steven has noticed that Garnet seems almost protective of the smaller green gem.

Steven thinks it is cute how Peridot in turn looks up to the de facto leader of the Crystal Gems now. Though he knows that Peridot would never admit 'to any such mutual admiration with the perma-fusion'. She also hates being called cute, which he found out a bit painfully when he first let her out of her bubble. Never again, Steven vows silently to himself over his half-eaten eggs.

An ominous creak sounds, and Steven looks up to see that the bathroom door is slightly open. Garnet's stance has changed from relaxed vigilance to slightly more attentive. Pearl stops doing the dishes, though she is almost done, and even Amethyst looks up from chomping on the plate on which she had eaten her eggs.

Peridot glances out of the bathroom, curious about the ritual the Gems have every morning with Steven. Of course, once she sees that she has all of their attention, she wishes she can close the door again. Steven stops her though, when he calls out, "Hey Peridot! Do you want to join us? I know that breakfast is mostly over, but you can still have some of my eggs!"

Curious despite of herself, Peridot opens the door all the way and steps out, taking in the subtle way Garnet forces her stance to be more casual, and less obvious in the way she is watching Peridot. She feels a brief flash of irritation at this. Despite the fact that she helped take down the Cluster and built the drill that found it, and how she thought she was on better terms with Garnet, Garnet still does not seem to trust her completely. Pushing that aside, she instead basks in how genuinely excited Steven and Amethyst look at seeing her. Steven almost literally has stars in his eyes.

"Steven, you know I do not eat food. Once the process was explained to me, I found the entire thing… weird. No matter how 'incredible' both you and Amethyst claim it to be," Peridot states as she takes a seat. Pearl looks a little smug, so Peridot decides to say, "Not that I wouldn't object to eating at some point in the future, it sounds interesting, to say the least," sending a pointed look Pearl's way, "but just not right now, you know?"

"Totally Perisnot," Amethyst says, a wide grin breaking her face. "But when you do decide to try it, I want to get to dictate the terms. I know all the good stuff to eat."

While this will probably prove to be less than wise, Peridot agrees, "Of course. I need your culinary expertise just to get around the kitchen." This also elicits a laugh from both Steven and Amethyst, for some reason. Pearl of course now looks a bit irked, but not in the way she usually is with Peridot. More like the weary way one is from an argument that has gone on for a long time and is probably more of a routine than anything else. Garnet is silent and is still observing Peridot, which causes her smile to falter a bit.

"So does that mean you will just hang for a bit?" Steven interjects, disrupting Peridot's admittedly negative train of thought, and catching her off guard.

"W-What?" Peridot asks uncertainly, hoping she didn't just miss something important. Steven just gives her a reassuring smile, while Amethyst gives her a not so reassuring snort of laughter.

"If you aren't going to eat breakfast, and you don't want to stay in the bathroom, unless you do then that is totally ok," Steven beams, "but if not, Connie is coming over later and maybe we can hang out all together? I mean, you haven't met Connie yet but she is totally cool and I think you guys would both get along!" Steven says, giving Peridot a huge grin.

Peridot can feel the Gems watching her actions, and awaiting her response. She can feel both Garnet and Pearl staring at her from behind her, boring holes into her back. Even Amethyst's usually laid-back demeanor betrays a bit of interest in what Peridot is going to say. Right now, all she wants to do is hide back in the bathroom to escape their scrutiny. The tiniest tremor is visible in her extremities, and she tries to casually cross her arms to control the shaking and not draw attention to it.

Steven, damn his good gem, of course notices, and says, not at all unkindly, "Peridot, if you don't feel up to meeting Connie, you don't _have_ to. I understand if you still need more time for yourself. I don't want to rush you getting to meet everyone in Beach City, they are all really nice and cool."

The shaking only seems to intensifies and Peridot feels her eyes start to sting in a way that is quickly becoming familiar to her since she first became the prisoner, and then friend, of Steven. Before she had had the excuse of the rain or mortal peril to explain it away, but now… now in front of all the Gems, without any reasonable explanation for the tightening of her throat, she finds herself about to fall apart.

Despite Steven's kind smile, she can only feel the Gems' accusatory and judgemental stares. Steven's face starts to waver in her vision, and Peridot realizes with dread what is happening. To the shout of "Peridot!" from Steven, Peridot races out of the house which Steven lives in and catapults over the railing, tumbling in the sand, before taking off at a run down the beach, hot liquid streaming from her eyes.

 **Author Note: Due to how many people want more of this story, I'll try to update every Monday. I might not be able to keep to this schedule all the time due to my summer job and classes, but I will do my best. I do not anticipate this story being more than a handful more chapters, but who knows. Sometimes these things have a way of getting away from an author. As always please leave a review telling me what you guys think, and if it is about any errors in my story (if the errors are not on purpose) I will try to fix them. Thanks for your support!  
**


	3. Prelude To A Talk

**Author Note: Hello readers! I would like to apologize for the lateness of this chapter, I just started my job on Monday and it was a bigger workload than I was expecting, leaving me exhausted and unable to write the last bits of this chapter. Also this chapter was very difficult to write, so I apologize before hand if this chapter does not flow smoothly. Apparently, it is very easy to make Peridot upset, but I had no clue how to make her feel better. For the next chapter I will try to return to the schedule which I had set up, then promptly abandoned with this chapter. Thanks for all the reviews, they encourage me as writer and make me feel like an awesome person.**

 **Update: Hey guys, I am going to have to put this story on hold. Until my workload lightens, I will be on hiatus. I might occasionally post some stuff, but I wont keep a schedule. I probably wont seriously start updating again until late August. Thanks for all of your support, and for even reading at my story.**

Peridot had stopped running once she had hit the town, which she saw was the 'Beach City' Steven often talked about from the giant sign. Despite all the time she spent on Earth, she never spent any time in the human settlement which Steven was so fond of. For the majority of her stay on Earth, she had either been on the run from the Gems, staying as far away from their Temple as possible, or she had been busy in their custody helping to build the Cluster Drill. Of course after the Cluster had been contained she should have been free to explore more without worry of the Gems hunting her down, but she had felt no interest in straying far from either Steven's home and the Barn with- well, she didn't know much about the town, besides what Steven told her.

She had wandered past the building with the giant doughnut, coincidently called the 'Giant Donut'. Human humor still eluded her, but Peridot was pretty sure that this was an attempt at humor. She thought. A boy and a girl inside the Giant Donut had been engaging in what she had recognized as what would have been bonding behavior in Jaspers and Amethysts, but in humans? She just hoped that the girl was not engaging in combat with the boy by punching him. She didn't _think_ he could have reciprocated without getting hurt or would have at all, if Steven is anything to go by as a model for the human civilization.

Peridot had stood outside of the glass for a moment staring at the girl beating up the boy, though he didn't punch back or seem to be hurt, until they had noticed her standing outside. When the girl made a move towards her, Peridot ran away, as she hadn't exactly intended to meet any of Steven's human friends yet.

Actually very few humans were out and about at this time of day, surprisingly. Most apparently stayed within the buildings that were around the town, and Peridot tried to avoid being seen again. She did see what looked like one of the tractors that was at the Barn. Peridot knew that it was probably an automobile, or a car, like the ones Steven's human dad, Greg, said was a part of his job to wash. While not entirely sure of the specifics of his job, she was pretty knowledgeable on the mechanics of cars, having read up on them in one of the books Steven had lent to her. Not knowing what to do, she had decided to follow the automobile. Probably not the best plan, but it probably wasn't a good idea to wander around the town called Beach City anyway. As long as she wasn't thinking, she might as well follow the car so that if the opportunity presented itself, she could maybe gain access to the car to better understand it.

It ended up bringing her to the establishment that announced itself as "It's A Wash" on an elephant shaped sign. For something that she read could go up to 100 human miles an hour, the vehicle had actually moved slowly enough that she wasn't too out of breath when it pulled up in front of the building, at least not to the point where she had given up following it.

Now, she realizes how futile it was following it. Of course the person that owns it wont let her tinker with their car. They don't even know her. And as much as she likes Steven, Peridot still doesn't feel quite ready to meet other humans. What if they are not as nice as him? What if they condemn her for almost helping cause the destruction of their home planet? Peridot sat at the base of the sign. This whole endeavor was simply ridiculous. There was no point in having followed the earth vehicle and now she is quite certain that she is lost.

Burying her head in her arms, she doesn't notice when the human whose car she had been following alerted the owner of the establishment to her presence, and then said owner approaching her after apologizing to the owner of the car after he sets it up to be washed.

"Hey, Peridot? Is that you?"

Peridot quickly looks up, wiping off any stray moisture that may have escaped from her eyes when she was distracted. She is momentarily startled when she recognizes the human that had addressed her.

"G-Greg?" She confirms shakily.

"He he, yeah," Greg, Steven's father says nervously, a hand running through his balding hair. He appraises the gem before him, and notices that she does not appear to be in the best of places emotionally. He is not used to the usually cocky green gem looking so unsure. "I know we have met only a couple of time (though you did push me off a roof), though I guess you hang out with my son sometimes, but are you ok? I mean, if you don't mind me asking."

The look Peridot gives him is a little unreadable, causing him to fidget slightly. She looks down and shakes her head.

"Oh. Do you want to talk about? Work has been slowing to a trickle and once this guy is done I may close shop, so we can talk."

Peridot looks at him again. This human is fidgeting slightly, indicating he is nervous. She senses no traps or hostile intentions from him, and suddenly she really wants her tape recorder, as an outlet from her anxiety and for something to talk to, but still, she is surprised when she nods her head. The human, Greg, was apparently not thinking she was going to accept either, and he looks surprised. She thinks that maybe she may have made a mistake, when he suddenly smiles at her in a way similar to how Steven smiles at her, but different too, and he tells her to go wait by the van and maybe sit on one of the chairs to get comfortable while he finishes up.

After the customer paid, Greg puts up the closed sign and goes to where he told Peridot to wait, though he doesn't know if she is still there.

When he finds her sitting against the side of the truck, facing the building, away from the road, he is slightly surprised that she stuck around. Now, all he has to do is talk to her.

Hoo boy.

 **Author Note: Hey guys, I also would like to apologize for any grammatical mistakes, spelling mistakes, that sort of thing. The person who usually helps me edit was unable to for this chapter, which also contributed to the lateness of said chapter. As always please leave a review and especially for this chapter, please PM me or write a review about any mistakes you notice, and if it isn't on purpose, I will try to fix it and if it is on purpose I will try to make that fact more obvious. Thanks for reading!**

 **Edit: My editor went through and helped clean this up a bit and make it less of an eye-sore to those sensitive to grammatical errors in stories. Thanks again for all my readers' support, and I promise the next chapter will be on time.**


	4. A Rose By Any Other Name

**Author's Note: Surprise! I'm not dead! But this story nearly was. Sorry about that. I know I promised late August, and it's now *looks at calender* early November. Yikes. This is really late. Like, three-four months late. Sorry about that! I lost inspiration for what to do with this chapter, and it wouldn't come out right. This story is very nearly done though, and I hope to get the next couple of chapters out within the next couple of weeks. I was originally going to post this on Monday, but then I found out today was the third anniversary of Steven Universe. Yay! So, I was unable to get my editor to check this, so there may be some spelling/grammatical errors. I'll try to fix them later. And, as always, let me know what you think! Compliments and criticisms alike!  
**

Peridot argues with herself the entire time Greg is distracted. She doesn't know why she is going to confide with him, there is no logical reason _why_ , but she is doing it anyway. For no reason other than he offered, and in a moment of weakness, she accepted. But that doesn't mean she _should_ , Peridot tells herself. When she was on Homeworld, this type of behavior would have been unacceptable. If she was still on Homeworld, she retorts, she wouldn't be feeling or this way this way in the first place! Or, Peridot adds, she wouldn't be allowed to show that she was feeling this way.

Greg' approach shakes Peridot out of her thoughts. She looks up, and finds him staring nervously at her. When he notices her staring at him staring at her, he starts very slightly, but it's obvious to her precise eyesight. Her usually keen eyesight had been something of a pride to her back on Homeworld. It had needed to be precise when she had worked as a technician or when she had needed to make repairs to her limb enhancers. Which are now gone. Thanks to Steven and the Crystal Clods. Who of course _don't_ need limb enhancers. Not for anything. Their natural abilities are more than enough. Even when she had had limb enhancers she was no match for them. And even Steven, who should logically be at a disadvantage due to his half-human nature, is better than her.

She realizes that she is glaring at Greg, and that he looks even more nervous than before. Not wanting him to think that she is mad at him, Peridot fixes her facial features and attempts to smile sheepishly as a way of an apology. By Greg's expression, it didn't work and she most likely did something wrong. Maybe her face was not right. Nothing she did was ever right. Not since she came to Earth. And probably long before she first made contact with the Crystal Gems or was assigned to this case.

Again, Greg clears his throat, and when Peridot focuses on him, once again interrupting her internal monologue and beratement, he asks, "Um, is it ok if I sit here?"

Peridot simply moves over, and pats the ground next to herself, mimicking a gesture she had seen Steven make. Greg takes it as the invitation that it is and sits, although he groans quietly as he does so. It almost sounds like he is in pain, but Steven had assured her that that is something his 'father' does on occasion, even when doing something as simple as sitting down. And what does she know about humans anyways. So she dismisses it.

They sit there in silence for a while, Peridot starring at her feet, and Greg alternating between staring at her and his own feet. Eventually, he gathers the courage to speak, "So, uh, Peridot. Um, what brings you all the way out here? You looked a bit lost."

Peridot turns to him sharply, and says a bit indignantly, "Lost?! Of course not! The great Peridot is never lost! I was merely... uh. Looking... to... talk to you?"

She loses a bit of steam, and slumps over, sighing in defeat. "Yes, I'm lost. I was attempting to follow a locomotive vehicle in order to ask the owner of such a machine if I could glance at the inner workings of their, 'car'."

Greg looks at her incredulously, but not unkindly "Seriously? I doubt they would have allowed a strange alien to do that."

She deflates further, and she presses her lips together, "I had... realized that." More indignantly, "I'm not totally 'hopeless' as Amethyst would say."

Greg looks at her again, and gives her a small smile. "The way Steven describes you, and how you act, honestly, you remind me of Rose."

Peridot snaps her head up, looking at him shocked. "R-Rose Q-Quartz?! Leader of the Re-Crystal Gems?! But we're nothing alike! She was a great leader, renowned for her ruthless tactics! And by the way Steven and the Crystal Gems talk about her, she was practically a Goddess among Gems!"

Greg starts laughing, enraging Peridot. "WHAT ARE YOU LAUGHING AT?!"

He wipes away a few tears, "Oh jeez, that may be true, but that's not all she was. She was also, 'as Amethyst would say' hopeless. At least when it came to Earth and its inhabitants. You should have seen her when we first met." He sighs wistfully, "I thought she was a goddess too. And the more time we spent together, the more I fell in love with her."

"Like Pierre and Percy?" Peridot interjects.

Greg looks at her blankly for a couple of seconds. "Ah, I'm sorry, but is that from one of the shows Steven likes to watch? Like Crying Breakfast Amigos or something?"

Peridot sighs, "No. It's from the cinematic master piece Camp Pining Hearts."

"Camp Pining Hearts? A cinematic masterpiece?" He starts laughing again.

"Hey! You can't judge, Steven says that you used to watch 'Little Butler' with Amethyst! Now that's something to laugh about."

Greg calms down, and looks at Peridot amused, more relaxed, "That's fair enough I guess. But anyways, despite my lack of knowledge on the show Camp Pining Hearts, no, we were not like 'Pierre' and 'Percy'. At least, not at first. Rose, for all her virtues, had her faults. While I was falling in love with her, she didn't think of our relationship that way. To her, I was just a human. A... pet, in a way. And despite her good heart, she had a skewed view of humanity. But, we managed to work past that, and our relationship became stronger. And she learned more about being human. I mean, it wasn't perfect. She almost let a baby fall to his death in a misguided attempt to let it be independent, but don't worry! The baby was fine. Is fine. The baby became Sour Cream." Peridot looks at him blankly, "Oh yeah, you don't know who that is. Nevermind. Anyways, what mattered was that she was trying. Like you, Peridot."

"Me?"

"Yeah! Steven tells me that almost every day, you try hard to understand more about humanity, and how to live here on Earth. In fact, I would say you're doing better than Rose did. And he's proud that you're a Crystal Gem."

Peridot looks down glumly. "That's the problem. I don't think I _am_ a Crystal Gem. I mean," she gestures frustratingly with her hands, "I know it doesn't matter to them that I'm... _defective_. But it matters! And no matter how hard I try, I can't seem to get it. Lapis doesn't even want to be a Crystal Gem, she thinks it doesn't matter!"

"Lapis?" Peridot freezes. "Isn't that the gem who crushed my truck and broke my leg? The one who can control water?"

"Y-yeah." Peridot says quietly.

"Did you two have a fight or something? Steven mentioned that you two were living at the Barn now, and that it would be a good idea to stay away. Not that I really ever went there except for Gem stuff."

Peridot pulls her knees up to her chin. "Yeah, sort of. It wasn't really a fight, in that we didn't have a disagreement, it's just that, she said something."

"What did she say Peridot?"

Peridot looks away, and mumbles something.

"What?"

"I said, 'She said that the Barn can be our place. A 'Crystal Gem' free zone'.' But I'm a Crystal Gem!" Peridot snaps, tearing up a bit. "Does she just not care? O-or, is she trying to tell me that I'm not actually one of them?"

Greg freezes, unsure of what to do, before awkwardly patting her back. "There there, I'm sure she didn't mean it."

"But what if the other Crystal Gems think that too? I used to be their enemy! Maybe, they still think I am, and they just want to keep an eye on me?"

"Now, if that were true," Greg says, "they wouldn't have given you the Barn. If you ask me, that's a pretty bad way to keep an eye on someone."

Peridot nods her head grudgingly, "I guess."

"Peridot, Steven trusts you, and so do the Crystal Gems. You've proved yourself more than enough. And I don't think anyone thinks you're defective. It isn't like that here. And, if what Lapis said really hurt you, why don't you talk to her? Explain how what she said upset you, and why."

She looks at her feet, then gets up. Turning to Greg, she gives him a small smile. "Thank you, Greg. I will consider what you said."

"Heh, no problem Peridot! Uh, do you need help getting back?"

She hesitates, "Uhhh, maybe?"

"No need." A voice says behind her. "I can take it from here. Thank you Greg for looking after her."

"No problem Garnet," Greg assures her, getting to his feet, nodding to Peridot, and then heading to the back of his truck.

"How long have you been there?" Peridot asks quietly.

"I just got here. Don't worry, I wasn't eavesdropping."

"T-that's good."

"Let's head back to the Temple."

 **Author's Note: Ok, this may need a bit of work, but I hope it suffices for now! Thank you all for putting up with me! You guys are awesome!**


	5. A Walk On The Beach

**Author's Note: Yep, surprise. I'm actually going to finish this. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! Also, this chapter is a little shorter than my usual chapters. But we are nearing the end.  
**

 **Edit: I am so sorry! There were edits made on it by someone I had read it, but I didn't realize they had done that, so I had uploaded it with those suggestions. Once again, sorry about that! I cleaned it up.**

Peridot walks alongside Garnet, silent. She can feel the larger gem's stare on her, but she does not look up to meet her eyes. What would even be the point in initiating contact, Peridot wonders. So, they continue in silence, the tension not to be broken by Peridot.

Eventually, Garnet speaks.

"How are you?"

"How... am I? I simply am. I... don't understand the query."

Garnet chuckles, causing Peridot to look up, expecting a smug look on her face at Peridot's ignorance. But, she's just smiling gently. Like how Greg had smiled at her. Not a hint of superiority can be found.

"No. I guess you wouldn't. It's something humans ask each other when they want to know how the other person feels or how they are emotionally, mentally, or physically at that moment. So, how are you Peridot?"

"I'm uh... hmm. I uh... ARGH! I still don't know how to answer!" the green gem confesses.

"That's alright," Garnet assures her, "Let's start off with how you are physically."

"Well, I'm performing at relative peak capacity."

Another chuckle. "That's not quite what I meant. But what do you mean, relative?" The bigger gem inquires.

"Given my... disadvantages."

"Ah. I'm also guessing that these, 'disadvantages' affect how you are feeling?"

"You... would not be incorrect."

She once again chuckles, a little more heartily than before. Peridot glares at her indignantly.

"What's so funny?!"

"Oh Peridot, do you still think we are your enemies?" _ **  
**_

"Wha-?" Peridot asks, taken aback, halting in her tracks. Garnet stops as well and turns to look back at Peridot.

"No! Why would you think that?!"

"Because you think we don't trust you. That _we_ think that _you_ are our enemy. Even despite all that you have done for us, given up for the Earth, that  
you don't belong. That you aren't a real Crystal Gem."

Peridot looks down guiltily, ashamed that Garnet had hit the problem on the head. Garnet takes a couple steps forward, and kneels in front of Peridot.

"We are _not_ your enemies. And we don't think that you are _our_ enemy. I knew... I thought that if I gave you space and time to come around, you would. I didn't want to rush you, or to make you feel as if we didn't trust you by pushing you around or crowding you. But, Steven is worried about you. He wants you to feel like you belong. And even though you would eventually feel like a part of the Crystal Gems, Steven needs to know that you _know_ that you are a part of the Crystal Gems. Because Peridot, like it or not, you _are_ one of us."

Peridot stares at her, struck speechless by the Gem's passionate speech, and then she tears up. "Really?"

"Really."

"Wow, thanks," she mutters, wiping her leaky eyeballs.

Garnet stands up to her full height, towering above the green gem. But Peridot does not mind. She does not mind that she no longer has limb enhancers to make up for her short stature. She does not mind that she might not be the strongest, or the most powerful. Because she knows, she is a Crystal Gem.

"Let's head back," the leader of the Crystal Gems says to one of the newest members. And Peridot nods her head, and says, "Yes, let's."


	6. Wow, Thanks

**Author's Note: GUESS WHO HAD THEIR WORK DELETED?! Me. So, I'm sorry this is late. But, I hope a happy ending will help. A happy ending for the New Year. Aaaaaand this is what my Author's Note _would_ have been if I had actually finished this when I told myself I would, which was about New Years. Once again, sorry. I'm not dead. Life kicked me in the butt, and after having my work deleted, I reeeeeaaaaally did not want to have to do it again. So, sorry it took me so long to hype myself back up to do this. Hope it was worth the wait!**

With the Temple coming into view, Peridot's newfound conviction was quickly withering away. By the time they reach the steps leading up to the porch, she's dragging her feet. Literally.

Garnet glances behind her, looking at the two parallel trenches dug in the sand. "I know that you are nervous Peridot. But it's alright. No one here is going to judge you."

Peridot resists the urge to snap, 'That's not true! I was being judged this morning!' She realizes that she herself might not have judged the situation inaccurately. Which is sort of embarrassing. The best she can do right now is try and rectify her mistake.

"If you say so." Is all she reluctantly ends up saying.

She picks up her gravi- foot. It feels heavier than usual. But she manages to do it, and place it on the first step. The next step is easier, and each step after that step gets even easier the farther she climbs them. Sooner than she realizes, she's at the top. Garnet is holding the door open for her.

"I have changed my mind again!" She exclaims, turning to leave before a voice stops her. "Peridot?"

She tenses up, and slowly turns around, seeing Steven at the door. He's now dressed in his usual attire, no longer in his 'pajamas'. He has what appears to be a food themed item on his back. She can infer from his appearance that he was just about to head out.

"Uh, h-hey, Steven." Peridot answers. Steven cocks his head. "Peridot, are you ok?"

Garnet looks at Peridot as well. "I'm f-fine, Steven," Peridot attempts to say reassuredly. She fails, completely and obviously, even to herself.

"Oh, uh… are you sure? It's alright to talk about it." Steven says.

She releases a deep breath. "Yes, I'm sure. There's… just some things I need to do."

Steven nods in understanding, thankfully not pushing her. "Oh, no problem! You can hang with Connie and I some time later if you want!"

She nods, and smiles widely as he walks past her. She catches what she assumes Garnet's eye because really who can tell what she's looking at any given time with that visor? But Peridot knows Garnet is looking at her. She can even see her reflection. For some reason that makes her feel guilty, so she turns to Steven and calls out. "Hey Steven?"

He turns and looks back at her. "Yes Peridot?"

"Um, wow, thanks for making me feel part of the Crystal Gems." Even she feels like it's faked, her tone stiff. But it's not. Garnet is still going to be unpleas-

His eyes turn to stars, and he beams at her, "No problem Peridot!"

She hesitantly smiles back at him, which just makes his smile wider. He waves, and heads down the last stairs, a bounce in his step. She watches Steven head down the beach, meeting with his human friend Connie, and then head to town. She turns when he's finally out of sight, and sees Garnet smiling at her.

"What?!" She asks defensively.

"Thank you Peridot. That meant a lot to Steven."

She feels her face heating up, and blames a defective gem. Everything about her is defective.

No. She's not defective. The Crystal Gems and Steven have shown her she's not defective. This is merely an Earth thing... a non-verbal way of showing she appreciates what Garnet said.

In case Garnet can't understand non-verbal cues, she mutters to her feet, "Wow, thanks."

Garnet chuckles. "No problem Peridot."

Peridot quietly grumbles and storms past Garnet, Garnet's smile not once wavering. Inside, Pearl and Amethyst are both on the couch, Pearl reading, and Amethyst eating some tea bags, the tea itself untouched. They look up almost on cue when she clatters through the door. She freezes under the weight of their stares.

Pearl is the first to break the silence. "Ah, hello Peridot. We would- _I_ would like to apologize for this morning. We…" she hesitates, her fingers slightly fidgeting. Peridot continues looking at her, unable to move or speak. Pearl takes this in and quickly glances over Peridot's shoulder, where Peridot realizes Garnet still stands. Pearl's gaze returns to Peridot. "Please understand, I trust you. We trust you. You've more than proven yourself, and you don't need to prove yourself anymore. I did not realize your self-inflicted exile was because you felt we did not want you here. In fact, the opposite! You are a valued member of the Crystal Gems."

Amethyst nods in agreement. "Yeah Peridot! You're family!"

Their words have the curious effect of making her light based body to feel warmer, despite not usually generating heat. Predominantly in her facial region. Hopefully the Crystal Clods don't notice.

"Soooo, P-dot, what was with you and the metal foot earlier?" Amethyst asks casually. When Peridot looks at her, she shrugs. "Ste-man told us."

Just like that, her good feelings are gone. Now she's definitely generating heat in her facial regions. "Ah, that," she coughs into her fist, "I dropped it on my foot when 'tinkering' with it, and fell into the bathtub."

Amethyst and Pearl stare at her, and she fully expects Amethyst to laugh at her and Pearl to scold her for her clumsiness.

"Is that what you were worried about? No big deal dude. It happens." Amethyst shrugs.

"Yes, even to the best of us."

Peridot stares, shocked. Pearl, admitting to making a fool of herself, to _her?_

"Anyways, Peridot, want to hang out? We can go scavenger hunting in my room!"

"Yes, maybe you can help her find my swords." Pearl says good naturedly.

"Its your fault Pearl that they keep ending up in my room."

"Would you rather I go and get them myself?"

"No way! You'll probably organize everything again."

Pearl smiles. "True."

"Um, I'll have to turn down the tantalizing offer. There's… something I need to do first."

Amethyst just gives a lazy smile and shrug. "Eh, suit yourself."

"Indeed. See you later Peridot."

"Yeah, see ya Peri-snot!"

Garnet nods to her fellow Crystal Gems and walks with Peridot over to the warp pad. Quietly, so that Amethyst and Pearl can't hear, she asks not unkindly, "Do you want me to come with you."

Peridot looks between her and Amethyst and Pearl. Despite chatting, they're watching her with concern. And she can tell it's concern and that they're not judging her. And she suddenly feels more confident about her decision.

"No. I will head back by myself. Besides. I left Lapis rather abruptly," she says sheepishly. "I can only imagine what she must be thinking. See ya. And, wow, thanks for the advice."

Garnet smiles, and as Peridot dematerializes, she hears, "Wow, thanks."

 **End of Chapter Author's Note: Should I just end here or do one more chapter? I've sort of have been dragging this out, and it's now taken me almost a year to do six chapters. Should I just slap a completed mark on this fic or do you guys want to see how Peridot resolves it with Lapis? At this point Peridot's inner conflict is resolved. And, hey! I finally explained what that first scene was about. What did you guys think it was going to be?**

 **As always, please comment and review! And, wow, thanks for reading! ^^**


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